Dunwaye

Dunwaye, officially known as the Grand Duchy of Dunwaye, is a country located in south-western Dimonde. It borders Björnska in the west. The nation covers a total area of 97,867 square kilometers (37,787 sq mi) and has a population of around 15 million. It's primarily located on the Donye peninsula, but also includes two exclaves in the north known as Wyvern and Vadania.

Etymology
Dunwaye's name is derived from the Dunwaye house, the noble family who played a big part the nation's decleration of indepence in the early 800s. The name itself originated around the 6th century, and is supposedly a combination of the old English words "dun", meaning hill or field, and "weg", translating to way or road.

Flag
Like it's name, Dunwaye's flag is derived from the Dunwaye house's rich history. It features a crown-wearing griffin, a well-known symbol of the family, against a yellow background. The griffin in and of itself is present in multiple Maian cultures, and is universally recognized as a symbol of power and majesty. In the context of the flag, it represents the wisdom and the power of the state and the royalty. Likewise, the color yellow is by many viewed as a color of wisdom and power. In the flag it represents the Dunnish people, their culture and the power of unity.

Prehistory
The earliest human inhabitants of Dunwaye are said to have arrived around 16,500 BC from down the south. Most of them lived in small hunter-gatherer tribes, scattered amongst modern Dunye. Eventually they spread to modern day Vadania and Wyvern a couple of hundred years later. Most of the tribes were rather isolationist, and rarely had any encounters with the outside world. Arceological studies do however show signs of some brief encounters with other neighbouring people like the Björns and the Foronians around the borderlands.

Middle Ages
In the early 9th century, the tribes of Dunwaye Proper started to feel uneasy about the powerful warrior nations that were starting to appear around them. They were the victims of numerous raids from neighbouring nations like Hedaya and Björnska. The tribes eventually decided to band together themselves and establish a nation of their own. Barabas Dunwaye, a rich salesman, was chosen as the head of state.

More will be added in short

Culture
A big part of Dunwaye's culture lies in pride and tradition. It's people are pressured since childhood to become something in life; to get married, have children, become rich, get a highly regarded occupation, etc. If they don't manage to achieve any of these goals, they're often freezed out by the rest of the family. The same treatment is also given to anyone who does anything else to dissapoint or defame the family, like committing any type of crime, getting fired or having an affair. In some cases, families resort to more extreme solutions like honor killing. The Dunsmen are also a very tradionalist people, and newer social innovations are usually not very well recieved. A lot of ethnic Dunsmen don't like socializing with people of different races or beliefs. Despite this, the LGBTQ+ community has since hundreds of years been accepted and rarely faces harassment. Rumors even says that the nation's first head of state, duke Barabas Dunwaye, was bi- or pansexual. In order to be "accepted" into society you have to learn proper Dunnish mannerism and etiquette. Like with everything else, the Dunsmen are very judgemental on how you behave, and any simple mistake, like putting your elbows on the table, can cause violent sighs.

Music
TBD